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I-4 traffic moves again after concrete blockage removed

A large piece of concrete dropped on the interstate snarled traffic for hours.

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Updated: 6:10 PM EDT Jun 13, 2013

I-4 traffic moves again after concrete blockage removed

A large piece of concrete dropped on the interstate snarled traffic for hours.

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Updated: 6:10 PM EDT Jun 13, 2013

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WEBVTT WESH 2 NEWS. RIGHT NOW TRAFFIC ON I-4 NEAR THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO IS MOVING NORMALLY AGAIN NOW THAT A WICKED MESS THAT CAUSED GRIDLOCK MOST OF THE DAY HAS BEEN CLEANED UP. A LOAD OF CONCRETE FELL FROM A TRUCK AND YOU CAN SEE THE GNARLY RESULT. TWO LANES ON THE INTERSTATE WESTBOUND BETWEEN JOHN YOUNG AND ORANGE BLOSSOM SHUT DOWN FOR HOURS. GREG FOX IS LIVE WHERE THIS ALL STARTED. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? THAT'S THE THING THAT POLICE AND THE WEIGHTS AND SCALES AND INVESTIGATIVE ARM OF DOT THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING WITH THAT TRUCK. BUT, AGAIN, IT HAPPENED RIGHT HERE AS REALLY LANES OF TRAFFIC WERE MOVING ALONG AND THAT CONCRETE SLAB FELL ON TOP OF THE GUARDRAIL. TAKE A LOOK FROM CHOPPER 2 AND YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED SECTIONS OF I-4 JUST ABOUT ANY TIME OF DAY. THIS IS BETWEEN JOHN YOUNG AND OBT IN THE WESTBOUND LANES. 2 OF THOSE LANES, THE FAR LEFT LANES WERE BLOCKED FOR ABOUT FIVE-AND-A-HALF HOURS. IT WAS A STRUGGLE GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR THE SPOT BECAUSE THE FRONTAGE ROADS ALONG I-4 WERE JUST AS BOGGED DOWN WITH TRAFFIC AS THE INTERSTATE. BUT WHEN WE FIRST ROLLED UP, POLICE ORDERED THAT A DUMPSTER BE BROUGHT RIGHT OVER TO THE ROAD SIDE FOR REMOVAL OF JUST THE SMALLER CHUNKS OF DEBRIS. IT TOOK TWO SUPER DUTY WRECKERS AND THEIR CRANES TO LIFT THE GIANT SLAB UP ON TO A FLATBED TRAILER. EVEN AFTER THAT, IT WAS DONE, IT TOOK THE BETTER PART OF AN HOUR TO PROPERLY SECURE IT AND GET IT OUT OF HERE. DRIVERS DID THEIR BEST TO DEAL WITH THIS TRAFFIC MELTDOWN AS THEY IDLED ALONG I-4 AND NEARBY ROADS. NOTHING REALLY YOU CAN DO. JUST GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE. SURPRISED ME. WE JUST COME ON THIS END. WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THE OTHER END OF DOWN. IT'S NOT EVEN, LIKE, 5:00. YOU CAN'T GE NOWHERE QUICK. I PASSED IT GOING INTO -- UP TO ALTAMONTE THIS MORNING AND I WAS EXPECTING IT TO BE CLEANED UP BY NOW. IN FACT, IT TOOK FOUR-AND-A-HALF HOURS TO CHAIN UP, HOIST UP AND TIE DOWN THIS CONCRETE SLAB. SO IT COULD BE HAULED AWAY ROUGHLY 3:00 P.M. THIS AFTERNOON. THE LANES REMAIN CLOSED ANOTHER HOUR AFTER THAT FINALLY REOPENING AT AROUND FOUR. AS I MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO, ORLANDO POLICE AND THE D.O.T. ARE INVESTIGATING TO FIND OUT IF THE TRUCKER IS GOING TO BE CHARGED. AND IF THE TRUCKER'S COMPANY IS GOING TO BE BILLED FOR THE CLEAN UP HERE ALONG I-4.

I-4 traffic moves again after concrete blockage removed

A large piece of concrete dropped on the interstate snarled traffic for hours.